Animal shelter hosting open house Saturday

An open house to celebrate the recently completed first phase of renovations at the Cheboygan County Humane Society will take place Saturday.

By Shawna Jankoviakshawna@cheboygantribune.com

An open house to celebrate the recently completed first phase of renovations at the Cheboygan County Humane Society will take place Saturday.The public is invited to visit the animal shelter, located at 1536 Hackleburg Road, from noon to 2 p.m. for tours of the building, free refreshments, popcorn and desserts, hot dogs by the Fraternal Order of Police, music by Big Country 102.9 and door prizes.“We are really excited, and are just so grateful to the community,” said Humane Society Director Mary Talaske.The grand opening event will also coincide with “Be Kind to Animals” week.Although staff has moved back into the building after operating out of a construction trailer for many months, some minor work has yet to be completed. However, visitors will be able to see just how big of an impact the additional space and updated building will have, to the public, the staff and the animals.The original shelter building was built in 1975 and did not adequately accommodate today’s needs. Staff was cramped within a tiny office space and there was really no place to visit or spend one-on-one time with adoptable animals. The new renovations are intended to make the shelter more customer-oriented and user-friendly, in addition to better suiting both the animals and the staff.A large, inviting reception area greets visitors when they first come in, and an adjacent room houses uncaged cats that are either elderly or are well-socialized. The room contains chairs and couches so that visitors can sit comfortably and spend time with the cats in a home-like environment.Separate offices now exist for animal control officers, transcriptionist, the director and the humane education/adoption counselor. There is also a cat room with larger cages for adoptable felines, an exam/ grooming room that contains a laundry area, a conference/break room, an isolation area for stray cats when they first get to the shelter or are recovering from an illness, and a pre-adoption room for cats that are in need of more socialization.According to Talaske, the first phase expanded the square footage of that area from around 2,800 to 4,700 square feet.Birchwood Construction served as the contractor for the first phase of work.Fundraising for the renovation work continues, now focusing on the second phase of the renovations, which will address a new kennel area for the dogs. The Humane Society raised $200,000 in donations for the first phase of work, with the county contributing the rest for the more than $300,000 project.The Cheboygan County Humane Society and animal shelter is open from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday and from noon-4 p.m. Saturday. The shelter is located at 1536 Hackleburg Road in Cheboygan and can be reached by calling 238-8221. Available pets can be viewed online by going to www.petfinder.com and entering the appropriate location or zip code or on Facebook at “Cheboygan County Humane Society (official fb page).”